What should we expect from Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers in his age-41 season?

Aaron Rodgers is coming back for another season in the NFL. The future Hall of Famer informed the Pittsburgh Steelers that he intends to sign a deal with them and will participate in minicamp next week, FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer confirmed Thursday.

As Rodgers’ free agency dragged on for three months, it was expected that Rodgers would eventually end up in Pittsburgh. However, he left the door open for retirement earlier in the offseason and wouldn’t guarantee a return to playing.

Now that he’s set to sign a contract, Rodgers will put on the pads for his 21st NFL season. He will be 41 when the season opens and will turn 42 in December, making him one of the oldest quarterbacks in NFL history.

The New York Jets opted out of the Rodgers business following an underwhelming 2024 season, in which he threw for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions with a 90.5 passer rating. New York went 5-12, falling well short of their playoff expectations.

Pittsburgh is betting that Rodgers will prolong a two-year playoff streak in 2025, signing him after letting Russell Wilson and Justin Fields walk in free agency. Is that a smart bet by the Steelers? Well, history isn’t too kind to the majority of quarterbacks who played at age 41. Let’s take a look at how other notable quarterbacks did in their age-41 season. 

George Blanda (1968)

Regular season stats: 61.2 completion percentage, 522 passing yards, six passing touchdowns, two interceptions, 120.1 passer rating

No player in NFL history has had a longer career than Blanda, who played for 26 seasons before retiring at age 48. In his age-41 season, Blanda was mostly used by the Raiders as a kicker but still got time at quarterback. He started one game — midseason against the Denver Broncos with Ken Stabler out, throwing for four touchdowns in the win. As he backed up Stabler in the other 13 games, Blanda’s 61.8 made field goal percentage was the fourth-best in the AFL, which helped the Raiders reach the Super Bowl.

Earl Morrall (1975)

Regular season stats: 60.5 completion percentage, 273 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, two interceptions, 82.8 passer rating

Morrall served as one of the backups to Bob Griese with the Miami Dolphins at age 41 in the 1975 season, making one start that year and leading the Dolphins to a late-season win. That start made him the oldest quarterback to start a game in NFL history at the time. 

Warren Moon (1997)

Regular season stats: 59.3 completion percentage, 3,678 passing yards, 25 passing touchdowns, 16 interceptions, 83.7 passer rating

Even at 41, Moon was still one of the game’s most prolific passers. In his first season with the Seattle Seahawks, he led the league in passing yards per game (245.2), which earned him a Pro Bowl nod. Seattle went 7-7 in the 14 games Moon started that year, missing the playoffs by a game at 8-8. 

Doug Flutie (2003)

Regular season stats: 54.5 completion percentage, 1,097 passing yards, nine passing touchdowns, four interceptions, 82.8 passer rating

After spending eight seasons in the CFL during the 1990s, Flutie returned to the NFL in his age-36 season in 1998. He won Comeback Player of the Year with the Buffalo Bills that season before his play dipped in the following years. But he was good enough to remain on the Chargers’ roster at 41 for the 2003 season, backing up Drew Brees. However, Flutie replaced the struggling Brees for five starts in the middle of that season, going 2-3. He rushed for two touchdowns in one of those games, becoming the first player over 40 to accomplish that in a game. 

Vinny Testaverde (2004)

Regular season stats: 60 completion percentage, 3,532 passing yards, 17 passing touchdowns, 20 interceptions, 76.4 passer rating

Testaverde reunited with his former coach, Bill Parcells, and joined the Dallas Cowboys for the 2004 season. He was initially expected to be a backup in Dallas, but Testaverde wound up becoming the Cowboys’ Week 1 starter because Quincy Carter got released following a failed drug test. Parcells and Testaverde didn’t have the same success they had in their one full season together as a quarterback-head coach duo with the New York Jets, going 6-10 as Testaverde’s 20 interceptions led the league. However, Testaverde was credited later for helping develop Tony Romo before he became the franchise’s cornerstone.

Brett Favre (2010)

Regular season stats: 60.6 completion percentage, 2,509 passing yards, 11 passing touchdowns, 19 interceptions, 69.9 passer rating

Many have compared Rodgers’ recent seasons to the late years of Favre’s career, but Rodgers better hope his age-41 season doesn’t replicate Favre’s. In his second year with the Minnesota Vikings, Favre had a miserable age-41 season as he dealt with multiple injuries. An AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder caused Favre’s streak of consecutive games played to end at 321 (including postseason games), and he was unable to play in his final NFL game due to a concussion. Those health issues, plus a dip in production, caused the Vikings to go 6-10 and miss the postseason after reaching the NFC Championship Game the year prior.

Mark Brunell (2011)

Regular season stats: Completed 1 of 3 passes for 27 yards

Brunell’s age-41 season was his last, serving as Mark Sanchez’s backup for a second straight year with the Jets. 

Tom Brady (2017)

Regular season stats: 65.8 completion percentage, 4,355 passing yards, 29 passing touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 97.7 passer rating
Postseason stats: 68 completion percentage, 953 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, three interceptions, 85.8 passer rating (three games; Super Bowl victory)

Brady became the gold standard for longevity in the NFL. He won two Super Bowls after turning 40, including one in his age-41 season. While he didn’t post the greatest stats in New England’s postseason run that year, Brady helped the Patriots put up 78 points in their first two playoff games. At age 41, Brady finished seventh in passing yards and won a Super Bowl. 

Drew Brees (2020)

Regular season stats: 70.5 completion percentage, 2,942 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, six interceptions, 106.4 passer rating
Postseason stats: 64.4 completion percentage, 399 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, three interceptions, 75.1 passer rating (two games; eliminated in NFC Divisional Round)

Brees had a respectable stat line in his 41-year-old season, which was good enough to help the New Orleans Saints win the NFC South for a fourth straight season. However, he missed four games that year because of a collapsed lung and multiple broken ribs. When he returned from the injuries later in the year, Brees was still productive, but his passes seemed to lack the same zip. He wound up throwing three interceptions in his final game, a loss to Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

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